February 28, 2014

Craig James: Fox Sports firing over opposition to gay marriage was 'sucker punch'

DALLAS (AP) — Former college football broadcaster Craig James says Fox Sports hit him with a “sucker punch” — first inviting him to join a regional network show, then firing him days later and telling the media he was too polarizing.

James has filed a complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission accusing Fox of firing him because he spoke as a U.S. Senate candidate about his opposition to gay marriage. He told The Associated Press on Thursday that he wants to hold the network accountable for violating his religious freedom.

One day after his first appearance on Fox Sports Southwest, James says he was fired and then read a spokesman’s comment online that the network questioned “how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department.”

“That’s like a sucker punch,” James said Thursday. “For someone to call you and offer you a job, praise your talents, your credentials, put you on the air the next day and fire you the following the day: That’s like some kind of mean joke.”

James said the firing has left him “radioactive” for future broadcasting jobs.

More at http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2014-02-27/craig-james-fox-sports-firing-over-opposition-gay-marriage-was-sucker-punch .

[font color=green]There is an element of conceitedness by Craig James to believe that his religious freedom trumps Texas right-to-work laws which allow employers to terminate employees without cause. Maybe he should have joined a union?

Meanwhile, Craig James is an advocate for tort reform. Therefore, the irony that he might file a lawsuit against any entity under the Fox umbrella is doubly delicious![/font]

February 28, 2014

Cuban says he won’t move possible 2016 Mavericks playoff games to make way for Republican Nat'l Conv

The Dallas Mavericks are unwilling to relocate their games from the American Airlines Center to make way for the 2016 Republican National Convention if they make the playoffs that season, team owner Mark Cuban said on Thursday.

Asked via email if he has committed to moving the games should the team make the playoffs, Cuban said, “No and we won’t move.”

-snip-

His stance could hurt the city’s chances, depending on when the convention is to be held and how much flexibility venues can offer in other cities competing for the GOP gathering.

Dallas leaders have said the American Airlines Center would be the primary convention site. The GOP’s target timeframe to hold the event is from June 26 to July 18. That means July 18 is the latest the convention could start.

More at http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/cuban-says-he-wont-move-possible-2016-mavericks-playoff-games-to-make-way-for-republican-national-convention.html/ .

February 27, 2014

President Barack Obama to visit Austin in April for LBJ Civil Rights Summit

President Barack Obama will attend a major summit on Lyndon Johnson’s civil rights legacy at the LBJ Library in Austin on April 10, the White House confirmed Thursday.

Obama will deliver a keynote address on the final day of the three-day summit, following presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton on the two previous days. George W. Bush is tentatively scheduled to speak on April 10 as well, summit organizers said.

“On Thursday, April 10th, the President and First Lady will travel to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, to deliver remarks at a Civil Rights Summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act,” a White House statement said. “Further details about the President and First Lady’s travel to Texas will be made available in the coming days.”

-snip-

Already confirmed to attend are civil rights leaders, current and former officeholders, academics, dignitaries and authors, including LBJ daughters Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Johnson Robb; former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond; University of Texas President Bill Powers and Taylor “Parting The Waters” Branch, the premier historian of the civil rights movement.

More at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/national-govt-politics/president-barack-obama-to-visit-austin-in-april-fo/nd2gN/ .

February 27, 2014

Tesla's massive battery factory could trigger bidding war between Texas, other states

Tesla Motors Inc.’s plan to build what co-founder Elon Musk bills as the world’s largest battery factory could shake up the power industry and trigger a bidding contest between Texas and other states eager for the 6,500 jobs the $5 billion investment could create.

The luxury electric-car maker announced yesterday that it’s selling at least $1.6 billion of convertible notes to finance the project and exploring locations in Texas, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico for a 10 million-square-foot facility. Tesla declined to comment on whether any negotiations had begun.

“This would rank as the most attractive industrial project out there,” said Dennis Cuneo, president of DC Strategic Advisors LLC and a former Toyota Motor Corp. executive who helped that carmaker select manufacturing sites.

Tesla has dubbed the project the “gigafactory,” and it would make Musk a force in both U.S. manufacturing and electric power. The plant he envisions would have more capacity than any other to make lithium-ion batteries.

More at http://www.dallasnews.com/business/autos-latest-news/20140227-tesla-s-massive-battery-factory-could-trigger-bidding-war-between-texas-other-states.ece .

February 27, 2014

Photos: Dallas buildings lit in rainbow colors to celebrate same-sex marriage ruling

In Dallas, both the Bank of America Tower, above, and the Omni Convention Center Hotel, below, put on rainbow light displays Wednesday night to celebrate a federal district judge’s ruling striking down Texas’ same-sex marriage bans.



http://www.lonestarq.com/photos-dallas-buildings-lit-rainbow-colors-celebrate-sex-marriage-ruling/

February 27, 2014

Without any Grassroots, This Austerity Group Withered

by Sarah Anderson

The austerity mania that plagued our political system for four years is finally subsiding. The latest sign is President Barack Obama’s decision to nix the Social Security cuts he had previously included in his budget proposal.

This was a body blow to the most powerful pro-austerity force in Washington — the Fix the Debt campaign. Starting in 2012, this fake grassroots — or “astroturf” — organization had deployed more than 100 CEOs to try to persuade the nation that our economic survival depended on expanding tax breaks for big corporations and slashing earned benefit programs.

Fix the Debt once boasted a budget of $40 million. Today, it’s shedding staff and going into hibernation, having failed to win any of their top priorities.

Their demise proves that deep pockets don’t always prevail in Washington. Through creative jujitsu, non-moneyed interests can turn extreme wealth and privilege into an extreme liability.

More at http://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/02/26-8 .

February 27, 2014

Anti-LGBT researcher Paul Cameron open to death penalty for ‘dangerous’ gay ‘parasites’

The chairman of the Family Research Institute suggested the death penalty may be appropriate for sexually active LGBT people.

Dr. Paul Cameron discussed his views Tuesday on The David Pakman Show about the recent anti-homosexuality laws passed in Uganda.

“I’m not advocating the death penalty,” Cameron said. “I’m saying I’m open to it, depending on what the legislature of a given country decides.”

Cameron, who was expelled from both the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association under an ethics investigation, refused to outline how he might hypothetically implement such a punitive law.

More at http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/26/anti-lgbt-researcher-paul-cameron-open-to-death-penalty-for-dangerous-gay-parasites/ .

February 27, 2014

Gay Marriage cartoon by Nick Anderson

http://blog.chron.com/nickanderson/2014/02/gay-marriage-2/?cmpid=opedhphcat

February 27, 2014

Jim Lange, 'The Dating Game' host, dies

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jim Lange, the first host of the popular game show "The Dating Game," has died at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 81.

He died Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack, his wife Nancy told The Associated Press Wednesday.

Though Lange had a successful career in radio, he is best known for his television role on ABC's "The Dating Game," which debuted in 1965 and on which he appeared for more than a decade, charming audiences with his mellifluous voice and wide, easygoing grin.

He also played host to many celebrity guests. Michael Jackson, Steve Martin and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others, appeared as contestants.

More at http://www.chron.com/entertainment/television/article/Jim-Lange-The-Dating-Game-host-dies-5271898.php?cmpid=hpbn .

February 27, 2014

Rivals in Texas AG race question Ken Paxton's judgment over his losses in scam

Republican rivals to attorney general candidate Ken Paxton criticized his judgment Wednesday over revelations that he was one of four state lawmakers caught up in an apparent investment scam.

“Guarding against consumer fraud and securing the public trust are essential attributes for the next attorney general,” said Rep. Dan Branch of Dallas, also a GOP candidate for the statewide post.

Beginning in 2008, businessman Archer Bonnema of McKinney persuaded House members Wayne Christian, Phil King, Bill Zedler and Paxton to invest in a fledgling technology company called Pirin Electric.

Instead of reaping huge dividends with trades in the electricity market, the lawmakers lost most of their money, according to a lawsuit filed on their behalf and federal bankruptcy documents. The Dallas Morning News detailed the case in a report Wednesday.

-snip-

Current Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman, blasted Paxton. “Ken Paxton was duped and lost $100,000 in a get-rich-quick Ponzi scheme offered to lawmakers,” Smitherman said in a written statement. “Now he expects taxpayers to trust him with their money? Texans need and want an honest attorney general they can trust.”

More at http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20140226-rivals-in-texas-ag-race-question-ken-paxton-s-judgment-over-his-losses-in-scam.ece .

[font color=green]Bonnema was part of an expedition that he claims led to the discovery of Noah’s Ark in Iran, which experts disputed.

I am amused by this article because about 15 years ago I ordered some take-out at the Burger Tex (decent hamburgers, but blah ambiance) on Airport Boulevard in Austin. While I was paying for the meal at the counter I noticed that someone was conducting a presentation for about 15-20 people. Even though I had just finished purrtoking , it only required about a minute to recognize that the presentation was a pyramid scheme and the presenter was scamming new victims (at a time when pyramid schemes weren't in the news). Yet our brilliant legislators with law degrees and vast business experience failed to recognize a pyramid scheme?
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